Alcohol and prescription drug abuse and borderline personality disorder symptomatology among male and female perpetrators of partner violence.

To the Editor: Relationships between alcohol misuse and violence are well known.1 As examples, alcohol misuse is associated with personal injuries,2 perpetration of dating violence,3 and partner violence4 (ie, there appears to be a general association between alcohol misuse and person-related violence to self/others). Similarly, substance misuse is associated with borderline personality disorder (BPD).5 Given these general relationships, we hypothesized that among individuals court ordered to treatment for perpetration of partner violence, BPD symptomatology would nonetheless predict for higher rates of alcohol and prescription drug misuse.